Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Victor Moses (Part 10)

In Part 9 of this series, I broke down Matt Miazga’s career at Chelsea and discussed what his future in football looks like. For those who haven’t read the introductory piece to this series, a different player will be the subject of a new article every day. I began with goalkeepers and am currently in the process of working my way up the pitch, with each position group being sorted in order by the way in which they appear on the club’s website.

As I move on with the loan army series, I continue the deep dive into the defensive loanees with Victor Moses. Moses is one of the senior members of the loan army and an individual that Blues fans know as well as anyone on this list. He spent a number of years at Stamford Bridge, but has also played a significant portion of his career as a member of the loan army.

More from Chelsea FC Loan Watch

• Chelsea: The €30m January signing who will highly excel with Pochettino’s appointment
• Chelsea loan Army: How Ian Maatsen has got on at Burnley
• What’s next for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher as asking price revealed?
• The next man up for Chelsea: Left back Ian Maatsen
• The next man up for Chelsea: Center forward Mason Burstow

What does Victor Moses’ Chelsea career look like?

Like Miazga in the previous installation of this series, Moses is unique because he is one of a handful of players to never play for Chelsea’s academy sides. The Nigerian’s career began at Crystal Palace back in 2002. He went on to play five years for the Eagles’ academy before making his senior debut in 2007. During his time in south London, Moses made a total of 69 appearances where he racked up 17 total goal contributions.

Moses’ impressive performances in the Championship—yes, Palace was in the Championship back in the late 2000s—caught the eye of the Premier League’s Wigan Athletic. The versatile wide player played 2 1/2 top flight seasons with the Latics, putting on the shirt 80 times. His nine goals and 12 assists were impressive, but it was his skillset that stood out to the Chelsea staff during the Blues 2-0 victory over Wigan in 2012. Moses was purchased by the Blues the following week. This signing kicked off his nine-year stint with the club.

Moses made an instant impact at Stamford Bridge, scoring a number of crucial goals during the 2012/13 campaign—most notably his stoppage time winner against Shakhtar Donetsk. He made 43 total appearances during his debut season in west London. Moses looked like a crucial member of the squad, but was relegated to the bench when Jose Mourinho took charge of Chelsea for his second stint. The club’s purchases of Willian and Samuel Eto’o saw his minutes dwindle significantly, so he was loaned out to Liverpool.

The loan to Merseyside kicked off his first of three consecutive loans to Premier League opposition. Following his 22 matches with the Reds, he played in 23 games for Stoke City and 26 for West Ham. The saving grace for Moses’ career was the Blues’ hiring of Antonio Conte.

Moses—often used as a winger or wide midfielder up to this point—became an integral part of Conte’s title-winning team as a right wingback. The Italian handed Moses 40 appearances during the 2016/17 campaign, where the Nigerian repaid his gaffer with four goals and four assists. The wingback went on to play in 38 matches the following year, but Conte’s sacking meant bad news for Moses. He struggled with yet another managerial change, only tallying 176 minutes for the Blues under Maurizio Sarri.

These minutes were likely Moses’ last in a Chelsea shirt as he was subsequently sent out on loan to Fenerbahce on an 18-month loan. He enjoyed initial success in Turkey before an injury saw his loan stint end early. From there, he reunited with Conte at Inter Milan in January of 2020.

He enjoyed success when teaming up with his former manager, racking up an impressive five assists in 20 appearances. Inter went on to make the Europa League final and Moses came on as a substitute. Unfortunately, the Nerazzurri went on to drop the tournament finale 3-2, but secured top four in Serie A to clinch their spot in 2021’s Champions League. Moses’ loan to Inter contained an option to buy, one in which the Italians declined to trigger.

The Blues were really banking on Conte and his team purchasing Moses, so they had to scramble to find another loan for him ahead of the 2020/21 season. Chelsea opted to send the versatile Nigerian to Spartak Moscow, where he currently plays.

Moses has been used mostly as a midfielder on both the right and left during his time in Russia. He’s made a total of 14 appearances, scoring all of his three goals and two assists from the right side. The loan agreement with the Russian top flight side does contain another option to buy, but there is no certainty around whether or not Spartak Moscow will agree to pay the Blues or not. Regardless, at 30, it seems as if Moses’ time in west London has run out.

This begs the question: what does Chelsea do with Moses this summer?

Verdict: Sell

As mentioned above, there is an option to buy in Moses’ contract with Spartak Moscow, so Chelsea doesn’t exactly control his future. Should the Russians opt not to purchase Moses, he has one-year remaining on his contract with the Blues. Marina Granovskaia and Co. should have no shortage of suitors lining up to buy Moses for the right price. He’s an incredibly versatile player, having played all across the midfield and front line, as well as right wingback and right back throughout his career. Fans will have keen memories of Moses given some of the magical moments he produced in a Chelsea shirt. Nevertheless, there is no place for him in the current squad, it’s best for the Blues to move on while they still can.

Remember to check back with The Pride of London each and every day as I dive into the largely uncharted world of Chelsea’s famous loan army. Part 11’s subject is defender Baba Rahman.